Latino Outreach Program

The goal of the Latino Outreach Program is to increase and facilitate access to primary and preventive health care for our Spanish-speaking population.

As the area's fastest growing minority group, many challenges exist as Latinos try to access our healthcare system. Challenges include limited English proficiency and lack of familiarity with or trust in the U.S. healthcare system.

Recent immigrants often find it very difficult to get time away from work for preventive and sometimes even for acute care medical and dental appointments. Working in secluded areas without easy access to vehicles, workers often cannot get transportation to and from appointments. Qualifying for assistance from some area healthcare facilities is sometimes not possible.

Many of these residents are employed as laborers and service personnel, are paid hourly and are largely uninsured. If they don't work, they don't get paid.

The program coordinator is part of the Rural Health Outreach Program (RHOP) staff and assists Latino residents to access health and human services resources in the county and city. The coordinator interprets or arranges for interpretation services; and provides and arranges transportation. Community Health Promoters (CHPs) from the immigrant community, along with RHOP staff and volunteers, provide peer education within the Latino communities.

The RHOP Mobile Clinic regularly travels to Latino worksites and communities tp provide preventive and acute care services at times that best suit the workers, in the early evening or on weekends. Every appointment slot has been filled since the service began.

BRMC's Rural Health Outreach Program also hosts an annual Hispanic Community Day at the Fleetwood Center, Massie's Mill.